RELEASED Wrexham midfielder Wayne Phillips will put a 12-month injury nightmare behind him in a fortnight's time when he is given the all-clear to resume playing again.

Sidelined for the whole of last season after breaking a leg in the Dragons' opening match of the campaign at Scunthorpe United last August, the 33-year-old will have a steel pin removed from his leg and can then begin to plan for an uncertain future.

"I'm looking for a new club, just like more than 550 other Nationwide League footballers," he said yesterday.

"The specialist said the bone is now as solid as a rock and I'll be back in full-time training by the end of the month."

But Phillips, who has spent all but two seasons of the last 17 years at the Racecourse, admits his prospects could be better.

"I think it's hard enough for footballers who played throughout the season, let alone for me who will have to prove my fitness first," he added.

"Obviously the best I can hope for in the first instance is to go to places on trial, perhaps play in a few friendly matches when they start to come up in July and then I'll have to take things from there."

But he said he had a completely open mind about his future and has not ruled out stepping down to the Welsh Premiership or even considering a radical change of career.

"There has been a suggestion that I might go and play for my home-town club, Caernarfon, but that's not gone beyond anything other than an informal chat and at the moment I'm open to anything and everything," he said.

The former Wales B international, a Welsh-speaker, was S4C's studio pundit for their weekend coverage of the European Championship match between Wales' Group Nine rivals Finland and Serbia-Montenegro, and he has also guested for BBC Radio Cymru on several occasions in the past.

"If you are not playing the game, the next best thing is being paid to watch football and talk about it," he said.

"I would be delighted for the opportunity to do more work like that but my main priority at the moment is to carry on playing for as long as I can.

"Having said that, the broadcasting experience I've gained over the past couple of years is another string to my bow. It's good to have and who knows what, if anything, might develop on that score."